[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

HUNGARY (Tier 2) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2022 TIP Report

The Government of Hungary does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Hungary remained on Tier 2. These efforts included investigating more trafficking cases, convicting more traffickers, and funding programs in orphanages aimed at the prevention of child sex trafficking and treatment of its victims. Additionally, provisions to the Act of Criminal Procedures and related sectoral legislation entered into force, modifying the conduct of proceedings involving children, including child trafficking victims, to prevent re-traumatization during investigations and court proceedings. Furthermore, the government amended the Victim Support Act to allow victims of violent crimes, such as trafficking, to receive compensation regardless of the victim’s income level, and it extended the deadline for claiming compensation from three months to one year. Moreover, the government and an international organization implemented a one-year return and reintegration project aimed at improving the provision of victim assistance for voluntary returns, sustainable reintegration, and preventing re-victimization. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Authorities identified and assisted fewer trafficking victims. The government’s trafficking victim identification mechanism did not apply to foreign victims without legal residency. As a result, government officials did not adequately screen for trafficking indicators or identify victims among third-country nationals, such as asylum-seekers, as well as other vulnerable populations, including domestic workers or children in state-run institutions. The government did not have a specialized framework for identifying, referring, or assisting child victims. Overall services for victims remained scarce, uncoordinated, and inadequate, especially for foreigners and children, for whom there were no dedicated shelters; these gaps left victims at risk of re-trafficking. Finally, the government re-extended the “crisis situation due to mass migration,” authorizing police to automatically remove third-country nationals intercepted for unlawfully entering and/or staying in Hungary without screening for trafficking indicators; some of these third-country nationals could be or could become trafficking victims.

Prioritized Recommendations

Screen for trafficking indicators and proactively identify potential victims, especially among vulnerable populations, such as migrants and asylum-seekers, unaccompanied children, and children in state-run institutions and orphanages. * Significantly increase the quality and availability of specialized victim services for adults and children, including by expanding the national referral mechanism (NRM) to formally include foreign victims without legal residency and allocating funding to additional NGOs for victim care. * Cease the abrupt and violent removal of third-country nationals who could be or could become trafficking victims and train authorities to recognize indicators of trafficking among vulnerable groups. * Bolster efforts to protect children residing in state-run institutions and of individuals who leave these institutions against trafficking. * Implement the non-punishment provisions to ensure trafficking victims are not inappropriately incarcerated, fined, or otherwise penalized solely for unlawful acts their traffickers compelled them to commit. * Amend the anti-trafficking law to ensure that force, fraud, or coercion are not required for sex trafficking crimes involving child victims. * Enhance the collection and reporting of reliable prosecution data. * Increase the number of police officers investigating trafficking crimes and train them to understand, recognize, and address all aspects of trafficking. * Develop a clear framework for and allocate dedicated resources to regulate foreign labor recruitment in Hungary. * Empower the labor authority to regulate labor recruitment agencies and impose fines or punishments on agencies that commit trafficking crimes. * Increase victim-centered, trauma-informed training for law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and front-line workers.